Employers going undercover: We’ve seen it done in large corporations with thousands of employees. In that case, it looks pretty easy for the big boss to travel incognito.
But when you only have a staff of 12?
Sonic Promos President, Seth Weiner, takes the genre one step further in this film that highlights what small business (and promotional marketing) looks like from the inside.
A lot of things can go wrong when producing branded marketing materials. Typos, smudged ink, disproportionate printing, late deliveries, ill-fitting clothing, damages in shipping... you name it. Thankfully, most mistakes are easily remedied with some quick thinking and a few extra dollars.
Most mistakes.
Last December, one of our decal/magnet vendors announced that they'd be launching a new product category in January 2012. When Seth, Julianne, Mallory and I traveled to Orlando for the ASI Show, we were excited to visit with our rep and learn more about the new line.
Turns out they had begun manufacturing temporary tattoos. Sure, temporary tattoos aren't anything new, but a patented ink formula differentiated their product from current market options. Inspired by traditional henna body art, this vendor designed their ink to stain the skin, rather than adhere to or sit on top of the surface layer. Applied correctly, the impression should last nearly 3 times longer than traditional temporary tats.
Right.
It seems that a little more research and development was in order before launching this product. Beta testers were outraged to discover just how well the design lasted. Sleeve art is fun for two days, five tops. Three months?!? Absolutely not funny.
Immediately following our vendor meeting in Orlando, Seth tweeted about the new ink. One of our largest clients adores temporary tattoos, and they typically place an order once per season to replenish inventory for youth fundraisers, family concerts and community events. They saw Seth's tweet, and a full order was in production the very next day. Normally, we regard our speed of service as a major asset at Sonic. In this instance, a few extra days would have literally saved our skin.
Needless to say, this little issue cost us a very big account. Dealing with the aftermath has reminded us of the importance of adequate product testing, and the responsibility falls on both suppliers and distributors.
Of course every situation has a silver lining, and Seth, ever the optimist, discovered it first:
"On the one hand it's a cautious tale for parents. On the other hand, when you consider the cost of real tattoos, you can now do a full sleeve for hundreds less than the average cost of a tramp stamp. Bike bars and Renaissance festivals are now in an uproar."
It's a shame that some lessons have to be learned the hard way...
... and Ben may have learned the hardest lesson of us all.
Working in promotional products, we at Sonic Promos sometimes get a little too excited about new products and innovative techniques. We admit our nerdy obsession with QR tags is enough to make anyone cringe. Most of the time we try to control our excitement on the blog, but the latest imprint method to hit the market- ThinkInk- deserves an unrestrained geek out.
ThinkInk, if you haven't already heard of it, is a chemical ink that can be used on everything from T-shirts to paper products. What makes it so cool?
It can only be read by those with an IQ over 120 points.
Scientists at the Harvard Center for Cognitive Studies recently concluded a 5-year research project studying the connection between the hippocampus and visual perception. Apparently, individuals with a higher-than-average IQ fire neurons across synapses approximately three times faster than individuals with a below-average IQ. This elevated brain activity allows said geniuses to process unique visual stimuli that the average eye typically misses.
In February, DIC Corporation (owner of Sun Chemical) capitalized on Harvard's findings and patented ThinkInk. Google, the Department of Homeland Security, and Mensa were among the first organizations to adopt this technology.
Check out Google's billboard below, designed to recruit new hires. Can you solve the puzzle shown?
Want another chance? Mark Zuckerberg is sporting Facebook's newest logo below. Personally, I prefer the old design.
When asked his opinion on the viability of ThinkInk technology, owner Seth Weiner commented, "I'm torn. Part of me wants to say it's a really good idea that will revolutionize promotional marketing, but an even bigger part of me thinks it kind of just looks like a blank T-shirt."
Interested in having your company's logo printed in ThinkInk? Contact Sonic Promos at info@sonicpromos.com.
